How often have you heard people say, “Don’t forget God when you received what you prayed for?” I read 2 Chronicles 26 and verse 16 stood out to me. I felt God speaking so clearly. Let’s read and start at verse 3. “3-5 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king and reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. He behaved well in the eyes of God, following in the footsteps of his father Amaziah. He was a loyal seeker of God. He was well trained by his pastor and teacher Zechariah to live in reverent obedience before God, and for as long as Zechariah lived, Uzziah lived a godly life. And God prospered him. (MSG). In verses three through five, we see that Uzziah lived a godly lifestyle, and God allowed him to prosper. I believe this to be true then as it is today. If we follow in the ways of God, I think that he will promote us, bless us, and so much more. Let’s pick back up on verse six.  

“6-8 He ventured out and fought the Philistines, breaking into the fortress cities of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He also built settlements around Ashdod and other Philistine areas. God helped him in his wars with the Philistines, the Arabs in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. The Ammonites also paid tribute. Uzziah became famous, his reputation extending all the way to Egypt. He became quite powerful.” (MSG). In these verses, we see that life seems to be going well for Uzziah. It looks like he has it all, and everyone knows his name. He’s famous. Let’s continue to verse 16. 

16-18 “But then the strength and success went to his head. Arrogant and proud, he fell. One day, contemptuous of God, he walked into The Temple of God like he owned it and took over, burning incense on the Incense Altar. The priest Azariah, backed up by eighty brave priests of God, tried to prevent him. They confronted Uzziah: “You must not, you cannot do this, Uzziah—only the Aaronite priests, especially consecrated for the work, are permitted to burn incense. Get out of God’s Temple; you are unfaithful and a disgrace!”We see that the success went to his head, and that’s not good. Proverbs 16:18 says, “18 First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” 

Anytime God blesses us with a platform, spouse, new car, job, etc., we have to be mindful not to let that blessing go to our heads. Just as quickly as God blessed you with a new job, he can also take that job away instantly. Anytime you get blessed, do not forget God. Always be thankful.

Also, think about what life was like before the blessing. Maybe you prayed for a spouse, and now you are complaining about your spouse, taking their time for granted, or just not appreciating them. Reflect upon the time when you were single as a pringle. Were you longing for the day to meet someone you could spend the rest of your life with? Did you feel miserable? And on the flip side, now that you have that new job you prayed for, do you often work late and miss church? Is your schedule so busy with other engagements that you don’t have time to spend with God? If you have noticed any changes once you have received your blessing, ask God to forgive you, move forward, and make the necessary changes you can apply to your life. God loves you! Also, remember never to worship the blessing, but worship God only. The next time you receive a blessing God gave you, don’t forget him, but rather, thank him for the blessing.